The Unwanted Luna

Under the scorching summer sun in Capital City, the evening breeze was a welcome relief as vendors set up their stalls beneath the overpass, their calls echoing through the bustling night market.

Lily Jiang sat cross-legged on a cushion, her chin resting on her hand, feeling a pang of disappointment as a young girl who had caught her eye earlier pulled her friend to look at hair clips at the neighboring stall instead.

Counting on her fingers, Lily let out a long sigh; this was the one hundred and fifty-second person to pass her by without a word. Her masters had warned her that life off the mountain would be tough, and she was beginning to understand why.

Her delicate face scrunched up in a frown as she touched her empty pocket, her lips downturning in distress.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle sounded from beside her. Surprised, Lily looked over to see Mark Wang, the phone case vendor next to her, trying to suppress his laughter.

Caught red-handed, Marks face flushed with embarrassment when he met Lilys clear eyes.

Lily, however, did not take offense. A thought struck her, and her eyes brightened as she picked up an item from her stall and offered it to him with a smile, "Sir, would you like to buy a plaster? Authentic dog skin plaster, guaranteed to cure all sorts of bruises, rheumatism, back pain, leg pain, just apply where it hurts, and its sure to work wonders."

Mark, still caught in his awkwardness, saw the unattractive black dog skin plaster in her fair hands and couldnt help but find it amusing. He momentarily forgot his embarrassment and asked, "How much does it cost?"

Lilys eyes brightened even more, her beautiful eyes curving into a delightful arc that made the small red mole on her forehead seem more vibrant. Her smile was dazzling as she replied, "Only one dollar, please."

It wasnt expensive at all.

Coughing lightly, Mark had been quietly observing her for a while. He noticed how her eyes would dim every time someone walked away, looking so pitiful and interesting. His laughter was because of this.

He decided to give it a try, "Alright, Ill take one then."

It was just a dollar, after all.

"Great!" Lily handed him the plaster, her palm open towards him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Seeing that her stall didnt have a QR code for payment, Mark asked, "Wheres your phone? I can transfer the money to you."

"Phone?" Lily blinked, rummaging through her bag for a while before pulling out a dusty object. "Is this it?"

She had seen everyone just tap on their phones and money would appear, which she found quite magical.

Marks mouth twitched at the sight of the Nokia phone in her hand, its buttons worn down to the point where the numbers were barely visible.

His peripheral vision caught sight of the items that had fallen out of her bag – a few porcelain bottles with red paper labels reading "Revival Pills," "Hundred Poison Pills," "Soul-Breaking Water," and what seemed to be a Feng Shui compass. His mouth twitched even more.

This must be a swindling girl from some remote mountain village.

Forget it, she probably had no other choice.

Sighing, he took out a dollar coin from his wallet.

"Here you go."

Holding the coin in her hand, Lily was in high spirits, her voice filled with joy as she said, "Thank you, sir. Youre so kind. You will make a fortune today."

Mark just laughed, taking her words as auspicious talk and didnt pay much attention. He casually put the plaster into his pocket.

With her first sale made, Lily felt encouraged, considering it a good omen.

Sure enough, not long after, someone else stopped in front of her stall, "How much is this?"

Lily looked up, her eyes flashing with surprise at the sight of the visitor. The man had exquisite features, captivating peach blossom eyes, and an air of nobility. He squatted in front of her small stall, looking somewhat out of place.

Only momentarily stunned, Lily quickly recovered and said, "One dollar each, buy five get one free."

Vincent Xu almost laughed at the absurdly cheap price.

Glancing around, he casually said, "Wrap them all up for me."

Lily blinked, "You want them all?"

"Yes, all of them," he replied, pulling out a stack of red bills from his pocket. "Im not short on money."

A big spender.

Lily, impressed, quickly found a bag and packed all the plasters, instructing on their use, "Just apply it where it hurts."

Finally, she handed him the bag, "A total of ninety-nine plasters, buy five get one free, thats eighty dollars, and Im giving you the remaining three for free."

"No need for freebies," Vincent took out a red bill and handed it to her, pointing at the coin in her hand, "Ninety-nine dollars, give me change for this."

This was the first time Lily had seen someone refuse a discount, truly a big client with a generous hand.

Lily didnt hesitate, handing him the dollar coin. Before handing it over, she suddenly pulled her hand back, and instead, took out a copper coin from her bag to give to him. She had heard that people in the city liked to collect these, and she had nurtured it with spiritual energy for a while, which was good for health when worn over time, so she didnt feel like she was taking advantage.

"Here, take this instead."

"Sure," Vincent glanced at it and nodded.

Efficient.

Lily handed him the copper coin, smiling brightly, "Have a good day, and come again when you have time."

"Will do," Vincent got up, giving her a meaningful look before walking towards a Rolls-Royce.

"Rich people," Mark commented.

Lily looked at the hundred dollars in her hand, nodding solemnly, "Very rich indeed."

Well, they werent talking about the same thing.

Mark found it amusing and asked, seeing her packing up her stall, "Heading back already?"

Lily was tidying up her things, casually responding, "Yeah, Ive made enough money for today."

A hundred dollars was enough?

Marks face was strange, but considering her young age and the path she had taken, a hundred dollars was indeed good for her.

Ah, she wasnt easy either.

-

On the other side, Vincent sat in the drivers seat, casually throwing the items in his hand to the back, and turned to say with a grin, "Here you go, the plasters you wanted, and a copper coin as change, exactly ninety-nine pieces, ninety-nine dollars spent, long-lasting and eternal, Mr. Gu, this is a good omen."

In the back seat, there was a man whose face was illuminated by the computer screen, making it hard to discern clearly, but his presence was still palpable.

Hearing Vincents voice, Nathan Gu looked up, revealing his handsome features. Even Vincent, with his delicate looks, paled in comparison. Nathans brow held an almost tangible aura of danger, a glance that made ones heart tremble and dare not meet his eyes directly. Yet, he held a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, silently flipping them, his deep eyes like an ink pool, devoid of any emotion, no ripples at all.

Meeting his gaze, Vincents face stiffened for a moment, he coughed lightly, and his expression became more serious, asking, "What are you going to do with this girl? Ive heard that several in the Gu family are waiting to see your joke."

The president of the prestigious Gu Corporation was supposed to marry a girl who came from some remote mountain village. Who could have imagined that the Su family couldnt even keep an eye on their own daughter, allowing their real daughter to be lost for eighteen years while the fake one was pampered like a treasure. No one knew what kind of situation would arise when these two met in the future.

He didnt care about that, what he cared about more was what Nathan Gu was going to do.

The Su family brought this daughter back just to marry her off to him.

At